Panel Descriptions

Accelerating New Cures

This panel will examine how breakthroughs in research, particularly at the genetic level, discoveries made through data crunching, and innovations in technology are speeding up the development and commercialization of new cures and treatments, and the value these new processes and therapies - from new R&D methods to the 3-D printing of medicine and body parts - provide to patients and the health care system.

Innovative Applications of Tech in Healthcare

This panel will predict what might be happening with innovative applications of tech in health care in the future. Topics to be covered include how apps are impacting how we monitor many aspects of our health care. Looking ahead with regard to genomics, the average person will throw off 1.2 or 1.3 terabytes of data – how is any human going to be able to process all of that data and make it useful to clinicians at the point of care? Find out how Watson – the computer that beat geniuses on Jeopardy! – will be able to democratize health care and help prevent disease before it materializes. Finally, the panel will explore how sensory stimulation, including taste and smell, might be impacted by health care in the future. Join us as we travel forward in time – to 2020 and beyond - to have a look at the future of innovative applications of tech in health care.

Personalized Medicine

Personalized medicine is a practice of medicine that individualizes medical treatments based upon a patient’s genetic profile. This approach guides decisions made in regard to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease. It involves utilizing genetic, genomic, and clinical information that allows accurate predictions to be made about a person's susceptibility of developing disease, the course of disease, and its response to treatment. In this session, panelists, who are leaders in the field, will address the current state of the art and the future direction of personalized medical approaches.

Healthcare Analytics

This panel will feature speakers from the healthcare domain – providers, payers, consumers, regulators etc. The focus of the panel is to highlight the inefficiencies of the current processes and systems in healthcare and the role of big data analytics in implementing innovative solutions. The topics to be covered relate to cost effectiveness, technology, EMR, diagnostics, claims, drug safety and monitoring. Panelists will explore current challenges and issues in the healthcare domain such as PII, regulations and compliance.

Careers Within Pharma

A panel of Montclair State University alumni who now work in the pharmaceutical industry will share information about their careers and offer advice for those interested in pursuing careers in pharma. These accomplished Montclair State graduates will focus on the wide range of professional opportunities that the pharmaceutical industry has to offer, opportunities that extend well beyond the traditional perception of researchers in lab coats. Panelists will describe their experiences in an industry that provides opportunities not only in drug development and manufacturing, but also in management, writing and publication, sales, quality control, marketing, accounting, information technology and more. This session, which will include the opportunity for questions and answers, will be a valuable experience for students who are considering a rewarding career in the ever-changing and vibrant pharmaceutical industry.

Special Student Presentations

Science Honors Innovation Program Learn about the research being done by the next global health innovators from the College of Science and Mathematics at Montclair State University.

Tour of Center for Environmental and Life Sciences

Experience State-of-the-Art labs designed to facilitate interdisciplinary research and teaching to accelerate innovative discoveries in global health and sustainable environmental technologies and solutions.

Tour of Feliciano School of Business

With a mission to 'Develop Talent for a Changing World,' the new Feliciano School of Business building is transforming the teaching and learning experience of faculty and students through new features including the Financial Resource Lab with ten Bloomberg terminals, two Market Research Focus Group Suites and an Innovation Lab with 34 3D printers and associated equipment in the Feliciano Center for Entrepreneurship.

Alumni Networking Reception

The PharmFest Career Networking session is an opportunity for PharmFest panelists, alumni, and guests attendees to informally share their own backgrounds and career experiences with Montclair State students. For many students, this will be their first opportunity to learn the value of building a network of professional connections in their chosen field; gain insight on the various career opportunities available for college graduates; and discover the skills and credentials necessary for a successful job search after graduation.